Does Stopping SSRI Use Reduce Miscarriage Risk?

(HealthDay News) — Increased risk of miscarriage is observed whether women receive selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during early pregnancy or discontinue their use before pregnancy, according to research published in the October issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Jon Trærup Andersen, MD, PhD, of University Hospital of Copenhagen, and colleagues analyzed data for all registered pregnancies in Denmark from 1997–2010 and their outcomes to assess the effect of exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on risk of miscarriage.

The researchers found that 12.6% of women (2,883 of 22,884) exposed to an SSRI during the first 35 days of pregnancy had a miscarriage, compared with 11.1% of women who were not exposed to an SSRI. Compared with those who were not exposed, pregnant women exposed to an SSRI had an increased risk of having a miscarriage (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–1.33). Compared with those who were not exposed, women who discontinued an SSRI three to 12 months before pregnancy also had an increased risk of having a miscarriage (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.18–1.3).

"Because the risk of miscarriage is elevated in both groups compared with an unexposed population, there is likely no benefit in discontinuing SSRI use before pregnancy to decrease one's chances of miscarriage," the authors write.